Air-heater for automobile torpedoes.



F. M. LEAVITT. AIR HEATER FOR AUTOMOBILE TOBPBDOES.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1907.

Patented Dec 21, 1909.

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lillitllilfi STATES PATENT @FFlQE.

FRANK III. LEAVITT, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNOR TO E. V. BLISS COMPANY, OF BBOQKLYN, NEW YORK, A CORPORATION OF W'EST VIRGINIA.

AIR-HEATER- FOE AUTOMOBILE TORPEDOES.

assess.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 21, 1909.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, FRANK M. Lravrrr, a citizen of the United States, residing in the borough of Brooklyn, county of Kings, city and State of New York, have invented cerreservoir or flask to the engine or motor of an automobile torpedo. The heating of the compressed air in order to increase its working eliiciency is performed either in the reservoir or in a special heater or heating chamher through which the air flows usually after being reduced in pressure by traversing the reducing valve. The use of such external heater has certain advantages, but involves difficulty in providing for the proper feeding of the liquid fuel. The fuel (usually alcohol or gasolene) should be sprayed or otherwise injected into the heater at a uniform rate and during the entire period of time constituting the run of the torpedo. The fuel has usually been fed from a closed tank or fuel pot by introducing above it air under a pressure somewhat higher than that existing in the heater. lwnen the latter pressure is that on the discharge side of the reducing valve, it is necessary to insure that the pressure in the heater shall be somewhat further reduced, in order to provide the differential pressure which is necessary for forcing over the liquid fuel. The narrow margin of pressures thus available for this purpose renders the feeding operation son'iewhat uncertain, and constitutes a disadvantage heretofore incident to the heating of the air after its reduction in pressure and while on its way to the engine.

The present invention provides a more positive and certain means for feeding the fuel, by utilizing for that purpose air taken from the reservoir and at high pressure, or a pressure higher than that on the eduction side of the reducing valve.

aeferring to the drawing: Figure l is a vertical longitudinal section through the middle portion of an automobile torpedo, showing the application of the presentin vention. Fig. 2 is a vertical mid-section on a larger scale of the feed regulating valve.

Referring to Fig. 1 let A represent the hull or shell of the torpedo, B, the air reserf voir or flask thereof, C, a valve, which may 5 be the starting valve, D, the pressure reducing valve and E, the engine or motor. From the reservoir B, a compressed air conduit a leads as usual to the valve 0 and thence to the inlet of the reducer D; from the outlet of the latter a low pressure pipe or conduit Z) leads to the engine. In this latter conduit Z2, and constituting an enlargement thereof, is introduced the air heater or super-heater F. This is a closed vessel or chamber fitted with a fuel inlet or spray nozzle 0- and an igniter d, the latter being actuated in any suitable known way, to set fire to the spray of combustible liquid when the latter is first introduced, at or about the time of launching the torpedo. G, is the fuel tank, from which leads a pipe 0, conducting the fuel to the nozzle 0. An air pipe 7' enters the top of the tank to convey air under higher pressure than that in the heater in order to expel the fuel. Heretofore this pipe has led from the pipe Z), and it has been necessary to introduce a choke valve, or some equivalent means, into the pipe 5, to lower the pressure of the air which is delivered into the heater. To avoid the disadvantage of such choke valve or other obstruction, the present invention provides for taking the air from the pipe 7" on the high pressure side of the reducer D,-- that is either from the reservoir B direct, or from the high pressure pipe (4.

A feed regulating valve H, is provided, located as shown in Fig. 1 and constructed preferably as shown in Fig. 2. It consists of a casing inclosing a movable part, preferably a diaphragm h, which receives on one side the pressure from the heater, and on the other side the pressure from the fuel tank. For this purpose a pipe 2' leads from the upper part of the heater and enters the valve shell above the diaphragm; and the pipe f communicating with the top of the tank enters the valve shell beneath the diaphragm. A spring is arranged to press downward upon the diaphragm, its pressure being transmitted preferably through a disk Z, and the pressure of the spring being regulated by a screw plug on which is accessible by removing a cap plug a. Beneath the diaphragm is a valve 29 controlling a port or opening g through which the high pressure air from the pipe 9 is admitted to the chamber beneath the diaphragm. The valve 22 has a small stem which touches the diaphragm in the normal position of the latter, a spring 1" being arranged to press the valve toward its seat.

hen the flow of compressed air commences upon the launching of the torpedo, the high pressure air admitted through the pipe 9 first presses the valve 79 tightly to its seat; upon the air under reduced pressure reaching the heater F, its pressure is communicated through the piped to the chamber above the diaphragm lb, until its pressure, plus the action of the spring, overcomes the pressure beneath the diaphragm and presses the latter downward; this movement opens the valve 7) and admits a restricted flow of air at high pressure into the space beneath the diaphragm, and thence out through the pipe to the fuel tank, where its pressure becomes effective to cause an outflow of the fuel through the pipe 6 to the heater. The higher pressure thus ad mitted beneath the diaphragm quickly forces it upward, and the valve p closes with the flow, thereby shutting off the high pressure air. IVhenever the air pressure in the tank falls below a prescribed difference (determined by the adjustment of the spring is) or excess over that in the heater, the diminution of the pressure beneath the diaphragm causes it to yield downwardly to the superior uniform pressure above it, and the valve 79 is thus opened, and a new admission of compressed air takes place. This operation continues during the entire period of the run, or until the liquid fluid is all fed over into the heater. The valve H thus insures that there shall be maintained in the tank a pressure sufiiciently higher than that in the heater to cause a constant and sufliciently forcible outflow of fuel to the heater. Thus the feed is made much more powerful and positive than has heretofore been possible.

The engine E shown is a fluid pressure turbine of well-known construction, but any other form of engine or motor may be used.

My invention is not limited to the specific construction or arrangement of parts shown and described, as it is susceptible of considerable variation in its mechanical features or details, without departing from the essential spirit of the invention. F or example,

from the reservoir to the engine, the reducing valve in said conduit, the heater in communication with said conduit on the low pressure side of said valve, and the fuel tank, of means for feeding liquid fuel from said tank to the heater by air of higher pressure than that on the low-pressure side of the reducing valve comprising a valve controlling the admission of such high-pres sure air to the tank.

2. In an automobile torpedo the combination with the reservoir of air under high pressure, the engine, the conduit leading from the reservoir to the engine, the reducing valve in said conduit, the heater in com-'- munication with said conduit on the low pressure side of said valve, and the fuel tank, ofa valve controlled by the relative pressures in the heater and fuel tank, and controlling the flow of high pressure air to said tank.

3. In an automobile torpedo the combination with the reservoir of air under high pressure, the engine, the conduit leading from the reservoir to the engine, the reducing valve in said conduit, the heater in communication with said conduit on the low pressure side of said valve and the fuel tank, of means for feeding liquid fuel from said tank to the heater by air of higher pressure than that on the low-pressure side of the reducing valve, comprising a pressureactuated part receiving heater-pressure on one side and tank-pressure on the other, and a valve controlled thereby for admitting high pressure air to the tank.

4;. In an automobile torpedo the combination with the reservoir of air under high pressure, the engine, the conduit leading from the reservoir to the engine, the reducing valve in said conduit, the heater in communication with said conduit on the low pressure side of said valve and the fuel tank, of means for feeding liquid fuel from said tank to the heater by air of higher pressure than that on the low-pressure side of the reducing valve, consisting of a diaphragm valve with connections for admitting heater and tank pressures to opposite sides of its diaphragnnand aconduit controlled by said valve for conveying high pressure air from the reservoir to said tank.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto signed my name in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK M. LEAVITT.

Witnesses:

ARTHUR G. PATTON, THEODORE T. SNELL. 

